Sony's 16.41 megapixel camera coming to a phone near you

Sony has announced the commercialization of two new Exmor R back-illuminated CMOS image sensors with improved photographic performance, significantly high sensitivity, and low noise. Sony claims the sensors can capture high quality photos and videos in low light settings, even on mobile phones without camera flash. The company plans to launch two new lens modules equipped with these image sensors, making it the first time that Exmor R is commercialized for the use in mobile phones.

The Exmor R series, which adopts the 1.12ìm unit pixel size for mobile phones thanks to the company's proprietary fine pixel fabrication process technology, has yet to reach its peak. Sony will continue to provide corresponding small lens modules, especially for smartphones with large displays and limited space for components.

IMX081PQ (1.12ìm unit pixel size) is a 16.41MP CMOS sensor that shoots 1080p video at 30fps and uses back-illumination to reduce visual noise. It will be offered to manufacturers in January, and you should at least expect it to show up in Sony Ericsson phones.

IMX105PQ (1.4ìm unit pixel size) is the second sensor, at 8.13MP, designed for slim phones. The corresponding lens module is actually the world's smallest and thinnest for phones, so hopefully we will be able to see it in phones with physical QWERTY keyboards.